appropriate for sipping: picks for the early autumn

Within this past weekend of balmy weather and the slight makings of Autumn, I considered a few spirits for sipping-local market pick: Brooklyn Brewery's Oktoberfest and imported: Egri Bikaver's Bull's Blood of Eger.

On the beer: Märzen / Oktoberfest / 5.50% ABV. I like this beer, but do not particularly feel that it's suited to be an Autumn beer. Although for a warmish weekend early in the season, it's a reasonable transition. The beer exhibits a malty taste and bread-like aroma. It's meant to be paired with sausages, steaks and roasted meat.
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On the wine: This dry red is a bit more robust than I typically select, but felt it appropriate in the face of the humidity. Bull's Blood is Hungary's most famous red wine- and shouldn't be purchased unless it's been properly aged for at least four years in oak (my bottle made the cut by a close margin). The hearty wine is best served after exposed to the air for a half-hour or so. The distinctive flavor comes from the Kadarka variety that is thought to have arrived in the grape growing region during the Turkish invasion in the sixteenth century.


photos: fliKr